Smoking implements for regulating the amount of air admitted into the smoke passage



Dec. 6, 1966 F. A. FASSBENDE 3,289,678

ENTS REGULATING SMOKING IMPLEM MOUNT OF AIR ADMITTED 0 THE SMOKE GE Filed Oct. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR FredenckAFassbender Dec. 6, 1966 F. A. FASSBENDER 3,289,678

SMOKING IMPLEMENTS FOR REGULATING THE AMOUNT OF AIR ADMIITED INTO THE SMOKE PASSAGE Filed 001,. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z0 FIGB.

. INVENTOR. Frederlck @fassbend er United States Patent Oil-ice 3,289,678 Patented Dec. 6, 1966 3,289,678 SMOKING IMPLEMENTS FOR REGULATING THE AMOUNT OF AIR ADMITTED INTO THE SMOKE PASSAGE Frederick A. Fassbender, West Orange, N..I., assignor to S. M. Frank & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 496,974 1 Claim. (Cl. 131-198) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 242,348, filed December 3, 1962, now Patent No. 3,212,508, issued October 19, 1965.

This invention relates to smoking implements such as cigarette holders and cigar holders, pipes as well as cigarettes, and particularly to means by which the tempera ture of the smoke passing through the cigarette or smoke passage of a smoking implement can be regulated by the admission of air into the cigarette or smoke passage.

It is an object of the invention to provide air admission means by which a regulatable amount of air is admitted into a cigarette or cigar or holder therefor, and particularly in a cigar or cigarette holder, thereby providing for a cool smoke.

It is one object of the invention to provide a device by which the control of the air is attained by the movement of a rotative ring, allowing the smoker to readily regulate the extent of the air admitted into the smoke passage or through the body of a cigarette.

More particularly, the invention contemplates, in one of its embodiments, the provision of a bit or mouthpiece of a cigarette holder or the like having a forward extension inserted into the cigarette-receiving part of the holder, said extension having a radial airadmitting opening; a ring having perforations of different sizes extending through it, said ring being fitted on the forward extension over the opening in the same, one or the other of the openings in the ring being adapted to be brought into registry with that in the bit to regulate the amount of admitted air. The invention further contemplates the provision of means by which the rotative ring is mounted on the extension or shank of the bit and is held thereon against longitudinal displacement.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a ring adjustable axially and rotatively on a cigarette so that it can have one or the other of several holes registered with a hole or piercing in the cigarette.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein embodiments of the invention are illustratively shown,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a cigarette or cigar holder construct-ed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the portion of the holder embodying the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the front end portion of the bit or mouthpiece;

FIG. 8 shows the invention as applied directly to a cigarette;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of a cigarette and the ventilating ring applied thereto;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the ventilating ring;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view through the ventilating ring of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 shows a modified form of ventilating ring for a cigarette or cigar, and FIG. 13 is an end view of the ring of FIG. 12 as seen from the left of FIG. 12.

In FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive the smoking implement shown is in the form of a cigarette or cigar holder, but it will be understood that the improvements disclosed may also be applied to a pipe. The holder as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive, includes a forward portion or head end 1 which receives and holds the end of a cigarette in the known manner. There may, if desired, be provided within the part 1, a coil spring to so bias the part so that the same, in co-operation with a stem fitted within the part 1, forms a cigarette-ejection means. However, since such means forms no part of the present invention, it is not shown in detail herein. The cigarette holder may also,

if desired contain a filter or filtering material.

At the end of the holder remote from the head 1 is provided a bit or mouthpiece 2 which is formed near its forward end with an annular shoulder 3 from which extends a reduced-diameter integrally formed shank 4. The smoke passage 5 extends continuously through the bit and through the shank 4 and through a sleeve 6 associated with the head 1 and into which the shank 4 is removably fitted. Said sleeve 6 extends within and is surrounded by the cigarette-holding part or head 1.

Fitted rotatively around the shank 4 and just forwardly of the annular shoulder 3, is an air adjusting ring 7, which ring, while being adjustable around the shank 4, is held against axial movement thereon by being confined between the shoulder 3 and a split retaining ring 8 fitted in an annular groove 9 formed in the shank 4 just forwardly of the adjusting ring 7.

Formed through the adjusting ring 7 and extending radially therethrough is a plurality of ventilating openings or holes; these holes are in spaced relation and decrease in diameter from the larger hole 10a to the smallest hole 11. The central or intermediate hole is shown at 10. By the rotative adjustment of the ring 7, one or the other of the holes 10, 10a or 11 is adapted to be registered or aligned with a vent hole 12 extending radially through the 'shank 4 behind the ring 7. This arrangement is such that the desired one of the openings 10a, 10 or 11 in the ring 7 can be registered with the vent opening 12 and the amount of air admitted into the smoke passage can be regulated. The opening 12 is preferably located on the longitudinal center line of the stem or bit so that the smoker will know that when any one of the holes in the ring is positioned on the top center line of the bit, such hole will be aligned with the hole 12.

The rotative movement of the ring 7 is limited by means of a pin 13 which extends through the wall of the shank 4 and across the interior of the bit, said pin having a projecting part 14 extending radially out of the shank 4 just forwardly of the shoulder 3. The pin 13 extends across the smoke passage and battles the smoke during use. The projecting part 14 of the pin 13 constitutes a stop pin by engagement with one or the other of the ends of an arcuate notch or groove 15 formed in the rear face of the ring 7. Thus, when the part 14 of the pin 13 contacts with one end of the notch or groove 15, or that shown at 16 in FIG. 5, the smoker will have the larger opening 10a aligned with the opening 12 and will then secure maximum air admission. When the part 14 of the pin contacts with the opposite end of the notch or groove 15, said end being shown at 17, the smallest opening 11 will then be aligned with the opening 12 and the minimum air admission will be obtained. The central opening 10 can be readily aligned with the opening 12 by merely positioning the opening 10 on the longitudinal center line of the holder J and which can, if desired be designated by a suitable indicator.

While the stop 13 is shown as a cross pin extending across the smoke passage and having a part 14 projecting to enter the groove 15, a different form of projecting element can be used to enter the groove and limit the rotative movement of the ring 7 accordingly.

In the operation of the device it is merely necessary to manually rotate the ring 7 to align the selected hole in the ring with the hole 12 and the desired ventilating effect will be obtained. For cleaning the holder the stem or bit is pulled out of the sleeve 6 and since the ventilating means is permanently mounted on the bit, the position of the parts thereof will not be disturbed.

In FIG. 8 is shown a cigarette 20 to which the improved ventilating ring 20a has been applied. The ring 20a can be made of metal or a suitable lastic material and it is provided with three holes 21, 22 and 23 of different sizes. The ring 20a is slid in place on a cigarette 20 and is caused to encircle it at any suitable location along its length. In FIG. 8 it is shown as applied over the filter part 24 of the cigarette, and which filter part forms an integral part of the cigarette in the known manner. The cigarette can be pierced as shown at 25 at any desired point along its length, so as to provide a perforation either in its filter portion or in the tobacco part as desired, and the ring slipped on the cigarette over such perforation. Thus, when the ring is manually rotated around the cigarette, any one of the holes 21, 22 or 23 can be registered with the perforation 25 to secure the desired ventilation. The ring is accordingly both axially as well as rotatively adjustable on the cigarette and can secure the desired ventilating eflFect at any desired point along the length of the cigarette or in either the tobacco or filter area.

In FIG. 12 an apertured ring 26 is shown as being rotative on an inner ring 27 which is slipped on a cigarette in the manner described in connection with the ring 20a. Ring 27 is provided with a projecting pin or stud 33 which enters an arcuate groove 28 in the rotative ring 26 to limit the rotative movement of the ring 26 in the manner described in relation to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 7. A retaining ring 29 holds the two rings together. By the rotation of the ring 26 relatively to its supporting ring 27 any one of the holes through the ring 26 can be aligned with hole 30 in ring 27 and which hole 30 is in turn aligned with a perforation or piercing 25 formed in the cigarette.

Having thus described several embodiments of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

A smoking implement having a cigar or cigarette holding portion at its forward end, a stem on which said portion is fitted, said stem having an annular shoulder from which a tubular shank portion extends, an air adjustment ring encircling said shank portion and bearing against the shoulder, a radial air passage extending through the shank portion and over which the ring is rotatably positioned, a stop pin extending transversely through the shank portion and diametrically across the smoke passage therein and having one end projecting radially out of the same and located forwardly of the shoulder, the ring having a groove in one of its faces into which the projecting end of the pin extends and which limits the extent of rotative movement of the ring relatively to the stem, with the projecting end of the pin terminating within the groove and disposed inwardly of the periphery of the ring so as to be wholly covered and concealed by the ring, the shank portion having an annular groove located forwardly of the air adjustment ring, a retaining ring fitted in the annular groove and disposed against the forward end of the air adjustment ring to thereby confine the air adjustment ring between the retaining ring and the shoulder, and the air adjustment ring having a plurality of radial passages extending through it, any one of which is adapted to be aligned with the air passage in the shank by the rotative movement of the air adjustment ring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 738,503 9/1903 Waters 131225 1,015,723 1/1912 Blackwood 13118-8 1,281,164 10/1918 Inglesby 131-188 2,189,684 2/1940 Sprinkel 131198 2,705,013 3/1955 Brothers 131-187 2,924,224 2/ 1960 Defries 131-198 3,116,741 1/1964 Speck 131-198 3,212,508 10/1965 Fassbender 131198 FOREIGN PATENTS 978,430 11/1950 France. 1,240,083 7/1960 France.

706,624 3/ 1954 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. H. P. DEELEY, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

